This invention relates to apparatus for refining fibrous material, which comprises two oppositely rotating refining discs, between which the fibrous material is fed and refined during its passage through the clearance between the discs.
The two refining discs are each arranged at the end of different shafts, and the shafts are driven in opposite directions by two motors. Each of the shafts is supported in axial bearings, which are disposed on one end of the shafts adjacent each refining disc and at the opposite ends of the shafts.
During the refining operation, very high axial forces develop due to the high pressure in the disc clearance. Accordingly, the axial bearings are subjected to stresses of such a magnitude that for each shaft more than one axial bearing must be provided. This gives rise to the problem, that the load distribution between the axial bearings readily will become non-uniform and wil not be in proportion to the bearing capacity factor of each of the bearings.